From the moment I stepped off the plane, the Maldives Islands were calling to me. I flew in from Sri Lanka and was looking forward to some rest and relaxation.
I’m not one to sit at a resort for very long, so venturing out to remote islands and doing some snorkelling every day was a big lure for me to get to the Maldives.
Maldives Snorkelling – Sweetlips!
You can’t help but have a smile on your face when your daily itinerary is something like this:
Wake up to a beautiful sunrise. Eat fresh fruit for breakfast. Jump in the water and go snorkelling. Come back and drink tea and eat chocolate cake. Go snorkelling again. Catch fish. Eat fish. Enjoy a drink while watching the sun set. Repeat.
Clownfish in the Maldives, near Vashugiri
What I loved most about snorkelling in the Maldives was that we’d just motor on to some random sandbar in the middle of nowhere and jump in the water. Then within minutes we’d have beautiful fish circling around, or sharks or eels or rays swimming by.
It wasn’t all big reefs and tons of coral, just amazing clear blue waters and colourful fish that were the attraction. Although there were some cool corals and reefs too, ha! The water was so warm too! My guides were pretty awesome too, pointing out rays or fish in hiding places that I might have otherwise snorkelled by without noticing.
Maldives Snorkelling – Creepy Looking Eel
Fun times in the Maldives, and my boat safari as they call it was much cheaper than a traditional resort stay in these islands. More than twice the fun at less than half the price is the way I looked at it.
My only regret from my adventure in the Maldives? Having a crappy underwater camera! I wish I had my new GoPro with me when I was there…maybe I need to return to get some better photos?
Maldives – Snorkelling with a Sea Turtle near Anbaraa
I think my biggest snorkel highlight during my days in the Maldives was seeing my first pufferfish! They are so cool when they are blown up. The sea turtles and lionfish were pretty cool too. Despite a bunch of “dangerous” creatures around, there was only one time when we had to change snorkel locations because of too many jellyfish. But, in the Maldives there is always another great snorkel spot nearby!
Vaavu Atoll, Cool Fish while Snorkelling in the Maldives
Lionfish in the Maldives
Spotted Ray in the Maldives
Maldives – Another Cool Fish while Snorkelling near Hulhidhoo
Just another funky fish in the Maldives!
Snorkelling in Vaavu Atoll, Maldives – Stripey Fish
Sometimes it is nice to splurge isn’t it? The Maldives Islands is one place where splurging is far too easy.
Before heading off on a leisurely boat safari to experience the Local Life in the Maldives, I spent about 36 hours at one of the most accessible resorts on the islands, the Sheraton Full Moon Resort.
Boardwalk at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort in the Maldives
It’s only a 20-minute fast boat ride away from the airport island, but seems like a world away as soon as you step foot on the island. Simply luxury and sheer beauty greet you with everything being impeccably clean, bright and welcoming. The staff are attentive, the restaurants at the resort are all amazing and the beaches are perfect.
It’s not a cheap place though! Even if you’re not staying in one of the premium over-water bungalows, your rooms are huge, many coming with outdoor shower areas and views of those perfect beaches.
A perfect beach in the Maldives
I have stayed in some really nice hotels over the years and have been to resorts in the Caribbean, South Pacific and Africa. But, overall it’s this one place in the Maldives that gets my vote as the most luxurious place I’ve stayed.
I ate well, I slept well and I could have stayed much longer…if it was rich.
Night time at the Luxurious Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort
Those 36 hours at the resort cost me more than the week on the safari boat, but somehow the steak seemed juicier and beer seemed colder! It’s always a bit of a struggle when I travel to decide how to travel. I’ve found that mixing in a slice of luxury with a larger dose of adventure seems to be my favourite travel style.
An Over Water Bungalow at the Sheraton in the Maldives
Away from the fancy resorts, where alcohol flows and honeymooners dine in swanky restaurants, are the inhabited islands of the Maldives.
The pace of life is much slower and noticeably simpler on these islands, especially north of Male’ in places like the Vaavu Atoll.
Thinadhoo Island – One of the Nicer Village Islands in the Maldives
You can’t just hop on a boat and walk around these village islands either. You need the permission of the island chief, which makes sense as these are not tourist attractions. These are working, living communities where children go to school and families make their homes.
There is no alcohol allowed on these islands either, as the Maldives is a Muslim nation. It is quite a contrast to the $1000 a day luxury vacations most people think of about the Maldives.
A School on Fulidhoo Island in the Maldives
As peaceful as it seems, this island life is under threat. The need to support families and make more money puts pressure on people who migrate to Malé, the capital, or seek employment at resorts on tourist islands. Many families become fragmented, with siblings scattered across different islands as they seek better jobs or a higher education.
A Boat being worked on – Fulidhoo Island
Fishing and boat building have always sustained the island lifestyle in the Maldives, but traditional boat-building skills are quickly fading away as well. Bye-bye dhoni, hello modern motorboat. Even homes are built differently now. Houses on these islands have traditionally been made from coral, but that is no longer allowed either. The island culture is slowly being washed away.
A Wall of Coral on an older building in Thinadhoo Village
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami helped expedite the exodus to the capital as well, as nearly 100 people were killed and entire islands were wiped out. Walking the streets of some of the remaining village islands, you see brightly coloured buildings beside homes that were abandoned after the tsunami.
It’s a very odd sensation to be in such a beautiful, yet fragile place. Even without global warming and the threat of rising sea levels, it seems that the small island way of living is destined to end in the Maldives. More opportunity, more money and more resorts mean less interest in island traditions.
Drumming and Dancing – A Night of fun on Fulidhoo Island (Muslim Rules, so Boys Only)
When you see this flip side to the Maldives, you’re happy that youngsters are given more opportunity and choice. Change is good, right? Hopefully, but if the recent political changes in the Maldives are a sign of things to come, there could be dark days ahead.
Tourists, however, don’t want to hear about politics. Knowing that their sustainable dream resorts are potentially built on an unsustainable and unstable nation would put a damper on things. Combine that with a crack down by the government on guest houses and people being able to stay with local families and the sustainable tourism industry in the Maldives looks a little shaky.
Perhaps it’s just a temporary setback. Time for another Mai Tai and a massage; life is good in paradise, right?
A Patch of Paradise – Palm Trees on the Village Island of Thinadhoo, Maldives
The Maldives Islands are one of those rare travel destinations that can live up to the label of ‘paradise’, but for most people they’re out of reach either because they’re so far away or cost so much to visit.
Local fishing Boat near Thinadhoo Island in the Vaavu Atoll, Maldives
If you can fore go the extreme luxury treatment and pampering, then there is a lesser-known adventurous way to enjoy the islands at a very affordable price. What is even better? You don’t have to be a couple on your honeymoon to enjoy the affordable Maldives.
Taking a Maldives Dhoni Cruise is not only the most affordable way to visit the islands, it is also the only way to explore around some of the more remote atolls and uninhabited islands. To put it in perspective, spending 36 hours at one of the nice (not ultra luxury) Maldives resorts costs as much as a 7-day cruise.
Many fishing boats are still built by hand in the Maldives Islands
There are a few suppliers out there, Voyages Maldives has a solid reputation and was the company I was with. You can book direct with them, although if you don’t mind giving up some privacy, you can book an organized tour from them via G Adventures. The Voyages Maldives crew was amazing and made the trip a real cultural experience too, not just a relaxing escape to the Indian Ocean.
My Cruising Safari Boat in the Maldives Islands
With a four person crew and an amazing chef on board for just me and the six other boat guests it was an extremely chilled out tour. Sure, the rooms were a bit cramped and hot, but there were three bathrooms between us and a ton of deck space to lounge around or enjoy some card games, watch the sun set or drink some beers.
That last point may be a big one for some people. The Maldives is a dry country. No alcohol allowed. The entire main island of Male’ is alcohol-free. The only places you can drink alcohol are at the resorts or on a boat safari. Be prepared to disconnect too, as you won’t have TV’s or internet while cruising around most of the islands.
Watching the sun set from our Safari Boat in the Maldives
Every day was full of laughs and surprises on the Maldives cruise safari, with multiple snorkelling expeditions every day. The colourful fish and reefs we visited were more impressive than anything I’d seen in places like Belize, the Galapagos and Malaysia. Part of what made it extra special was the near fish-like capabilities of our boat captain and guide. They were both so at home in the water that they could free-dive down to insane depths and hold their breath for minutes at a time. Leave it to them to find all the hiding spots for the most elusive sharks, eels, rays and fish!
Snorkelling near an uninhabited island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives
Our cook would always greet us with some tea and either fresh coconut slices or chocolate cake after our snorkels too. Luxury? No. Pampered? We thought so! Spicy, spicy was the name of the game for lunches and dinners. If you like hot food, then you’d love some of the meals in the Maldives, where we’d usually have a spicy and plain version of each salad we had. While we did have some chicken and meat, the big thing – not surprisingly – was fish.
Getting ready for Lunch in the middle of the Indian Ocean
In fact, we had more than one lunch disrupted as our fishing lines trailing the boat had caught huge deep sea fish. The crew would spring into action to haul in the fish, which would become that night’s dinner or tomorrow’s lunch. I have no idea what most of the fish were that we caught but they were big and they were tasty.
Trips to some of the smaller inhabited islands were a real treat too. The islands that are home to people of the Maldives, not resorts. We had to get special permission from the local chief to visit these islands and see where local children went to school, how people lived on the islands and what they did for entertainment. The Muslim influence was quite evident, but the people were surprisingly outgoing as well.
A Small Shop on one of the Villager Islands in the Maldives
The further north we went, the less touristy the islands became and I loved it. Fewer and fewer resort islands, more and more traditional islands where they still built wood boats, fished for a living and everyone owned their own patch of coconut trees. This was the real Maldives, not the Maldives found in glossy honeymoon magazines. Probably the most relaxing trip I’ve taken anywhere in the world.
Simple Village Life in the Maldives - Notice the Coconut Trees are painted Blue or White, so people know who owns them
If you’re thinking of visiting the Maldives, here are some helpful travel tips.
First, don’t forget alcohol isn’t permitted. Your luggage does get checked and alcohol gets confiscated. If you’re transiting through the Maldives, you can usually have your alcohol stored away at the airport so you can pick it up when you leave.
Second, the airport is on it’s own island and you cannot arrive without a hotel or accommodation booking. They won’t let you leave the airport until you’ve booked something. If your cruise or resort stay doesn’t start on the day you arrive, you do have a few options.
Enjoying a Game of Beach Volleyball on a Private Island in the Maldives
There is one hotel on the airport island called the Hulhule Island Hotel, which is convenient but pricey. There are many hotels on Male’ Island, which is a quick 10 minute ferry ride away (ferry taxis run at all hours). Some of them such as the Mookai Hotel are safe, simple and affordable. Or there are a few resort islands within a 30 minute fast ferry ride of the airport. Most resorts only run their shuttle ferries or helicopter transfers during daytime hours so if you need to go far and are arriving at night you’ll need to use one of these other options.
Third, don’t forget to bring a weaterproof camera with you! They really aren’t that expensive and will provide you with some stunning photos above and below the water.
Returning by Dinghy after a Snorkel Trip in the Maldives
Finally, especially if you take a safari or cruise in the Maldives, is bring your own snorkel equipment. While it is provided, you are in the water so often that ensuring you have fins, a mask and snorkel that fit properly is crucial and well worth the hassle of packing them in your luggage.
